Point of View

The point of view of Thank You for Smoking is third person omniscient. The narrator has clear knowledge of the thoughts of Nick Naylor, the protagonist of the novel. As such, the novel takes the same effect as a first person narrative with descriptions of places, people, and situations colored by Nick's emotions and biases.

The first effect that this point of view has is that Nick assumes the reader's understanding of the world in which the novel takes place. This is a world in which fictional public figures like the assassinated President Finisterre, Jeff Megall, and former Prime Minister Penelope Bent intermingle with real-world figures like Oprah and Larry King. One hears references to these fictional politicians and players from the narrator but must determine from context clues who they are. Nick knows this world, and so the narrator does not feel the need for...